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M2 Essential Tool Kit?

Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2018 8:12 pm
by Gwhite
I am building an enclosure, which will prevent me from using one of the Thingiverse printed tool racks that bolts directly onto the M2 to hold all the hex keys, tweezers, etc.

I am going to make a new one, but am going to add a few tools I've found useful. In the process of investigating this, I noticed that the Thingiverse tool rack has more holes than I have tools, and I'm wondering if something that came with my M2 has gone astray. I looked at the on-line manual, and it doesn't enumerate exactly what is in the factory kit. I have:

"L" hex keys: 1.5 mm, 2 mm, 3mm and 4mm

Ball end hex driver: 2.5 mm

1 pair of tweezers.

In addition, I'm going to add a pair of flush cutters to cut filament, a pair of needle nose pliers to remove supports, and 5.5 mm & 7 mm midget combination wrenches for various nuts. I also have a plastic scraper for removing stuck skirts & such:

https://scraperite.com/

I think a small cup for cotton swabs to clean the extruder nozzle would also be useful.

My questions are:

Am I missing something from my factory kit?

Any other tools I should consider adding to the mix?

Thanks!

Re: M2 Essential Tool Kit?

Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2018 9:58 pm
by airscapes
You are very organized.. here are my 2 tool kits.. floor of the enclosure! :shock:

Magnet on M2 with double sided tape for the feeler gauge and tweezer
magnet tool kit.jpg

Now where the hell are those cutters!!
toolkit 1.jpg

Re: M2 Essential Tool Kit?

Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2018 8:52 pm
by Phil
A brass-bristled brush and short piece of piano wire.
Also, a torch.

Re: M2 Essential Tool Kit?

Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2018 10:17 pm
by Gwhite
Phil wrote:
Sat Jun 16, 2018 8:52 pm
A brass-bristled brush and short piece of piano wire.
Also, a torch.
I can imagine the wire is for unplugging the extruder, but I'm not sure what the brush is for. I suppose you can use it to scrub zorched plastic off the nozzle, but I find I can get all that is necessary off with a cotton swab or two. If it needs more than that (like a torch), I'll take it off the machine.

I'm thinking more in terms of tools you might need on a weekly/monthly basis. I've only had to get to the torch stage once in a year of use.

Re: M2 Essential Tool Kit?

Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2018 10:29 pm
by Phil
I use the torch and brush frequently, but I do change between filaments a lot! (Often times oddball filaments, too.)

Re: M2 Essential Tool Kit?

Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2018 12:10 am
by Gwhite
I finally found a copy of the kit assembly guide on-line, and all they call out is:

2 mm allen wrench
2.5 mm allen wrench
3 mm allen wrench

plus a 7mm open end wrench or pliers (not provided).

So it appears that I have more hex keys than the minimum required for kit assembly, but fewer than the
tool rack is designed for...

The Users' Guide has a photo showing the 4 L-keys & the hex driver that I have, so I think the Thingiverse tool rack has a spare hole or two. I laid out all the tools I unearthed while cleaning up my printer bench, and there a lot of stuff I'd forgotten about, including:

an LED penlight
a dental mirror
a Sharpie marker
Post-It note pad
A 6" ruler
Ball point pen

I think a "pen cup" is in order for a lot of the small stick shaped things.

Re: M2 Essential Tool Kit?

Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2018 1:37 am
by jferguson
I use two hemostats for removing support structures. one has a slight bend at the business end.